If the Leafs do end up trading Nylander, one Metro Division team makes a lot of sense as a dance partner

It's probably safe to say that after watching Mitch Marner and Auston Matthews both get paid, Nylander is likely not interested in taking any sort of a hometown discount. That much was evident in his original contract ask. Letting Willy walk, well that's pretty self explanatory. However, if the Leafs do opt to search for a trade partner for Nylander, one team may make more sense than the rest as a potential trade partner.

While everyone knows that Eklund of HockeyBuzz is not the most reliable or credible source when it comes to breaking news, he did raise a good point yesterday regarding a potential trade between the Leafs and Blue Jackets. The Jackets have a plethora of young prospects and a fair amount of cap space ($4.3M currently) that could help facilitate a deal involving William Nylander. That said, the Leafs would either have to retain salary for this season on Nylander or take back a contract of some significant value to make a deal feasible, but it would allow the Leafs to recoup some assets instead of letting Nylander walk for nothing.

The Leafs could look at someone like Kent Johnson as well as Jack Roslovic, who the Jackets have reportedly been shopping, and perhaps a draft pick in exchange for Nylander. Johnson has the ability to play both wing and center and has been a healthy scratch at times already this season for the Jackets, while Roslovic will be a UFA at the end of the season and carries a $4M cap hit. Taking Roslovic back in the deal would prevent the Leafs from having to retain on Nylander. They could then either keep Roslovic, further cementing their center position, or flip him to another team before the deadline.

The Jackets also have 8 defensemen on their NHL roster currently and are also interested in moving one of them for some help up front according to multiple reports, and the Leafs need to add some depth to the blueline. Could someone like Andrew Peeke, who is 25, a right-shot, a physical presence and signed for 2 more seasons after this one be of interest to Brad Treliving?

Again, the rumour Eklund shared yesterday regarding Nylander and the Blue Jackets is likely nothing more than finding something to write about on a slow day, but Columbus has all of the pieces the Leafs would look for in a trade involving Nylander, if it ever came to moving him.